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Monday, December 14, 2009

How I wondered what kind of deep dish I was going to devour. The meatball special it was! A half-OFF meatball special that is – as many other Vivers enjoyed during our incredibly sweet 3-Day Viv Special at Little Star Pizza last week.

SFer’s braved the cold and rain to take part in the Viv Special – nothing could keep them from Little Star’s mouth watering pizza! The house was packed all three nights as everyone cozied up and awaited their pies. Vivers received some awesome eco-gifts such as CFL’s, low-flow faucet aerators, SF Environment canvas bags, and composting kits, all as a simple thanks for coming out! Sarah Z, one lucky Viv fan, won our eco-giveaway from TerraCycle JUST for signing up for our newsletter – a YakPak billboard bag and a set of energy efficient Frito-Lay speakers.

MORE specials, eco gifts and giveaways to come. Start saving and learn more about Viv here.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Viv Specials are off and running – here’s the scoop on the last two at Parea and Jubili and those to come.

The Viv Team and some great SF peoples headed to Paréa Wine Bar and Café last Wednesday for the 30% OFF Viv Special, taking refuge from these chilly nights, saving some dough, and warming up with delicious food and wine. Peter N, one of our Viv fans who signed up for our newsletter that day won our sweet $50 gift card giveaway from Preserve (www.preserveproducts.com), who makes stylish products from #5 plastic that are in turn recyclable, such as kitchen ware, toothbrushes and razors. Jealous? If you sign up for our newsletter at www.doyouviv.com by Thursday Dec 10th at midnight Pacific, you will be entered to win a YakPak billboard bag and Frito-Lay energy efficient speakers from TerraCycle.

Come to our next Viv Special to find out more!

Vivers hit up the 45% OFF Viv Special at Jubili on Saturday night for some yummy frozen yogurt, bringing in their own bowls to earn a free extra topping! I got three toppings myself (mochi, fruity pebbles, and blueberries) and they tasted even better in my reusable bowl!

Oh, and there’s more to come people! Once again, your favorite deep dish pizza will be HALF OFF at Little Star (Divisadero) starting today, Tuesday December 12th through Thursday December 14th from 5 to 6:30 each evening. (Details here:http://bit.ly/8sxVTz) Don’t miss it, and do yourself a favor and try their wings, you WON’T regret it! Check out more upcoming Viv Specials here: http://bit.ly/4pO1LT.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Wow, a lot has happened with Viv. Since the start of the year when it was just Dinesh and me working night and day... to the end of an amazing summer when the team had quadrupled and built a growing Viv community with increasing traction in San Fran. We finished August with Viv spots in 10+ neighborhoods and thousands of people stickered-- a huge leap from when we began this year!

Then we took a healthy pause. We asked ourselves, are we building as fast as we want to? If we are not, how long until we drive massive social change? Not soon enough. So as a full team, we stepped back to do a 360 degree review of the business from the highest to lowest levels of the company. We found a number of awesome ways (along with a few hidden gems) that we could drastically improve Viv for everyone involved-- users (ie, you, our beloved Vivers), merchants (ie, Viv spots), partners, investors, and of course the environment.

For the first two weeks of September, we cranked away considering big changes to our program, with all the research and investigation that comes with it. It was top priority for the entire team. Those 2 weeks turned into 3 weeks, then 4, and 5, 6, 7... and #8. September and October may have been the most intense and anxious months for me since we started Viv. I take a wee bit of comfort in the fact that so many great start-ups and inspiring businesses had to rethink how they did things and overhaul themselves to get to the next level. I also remind myself... no one ever said it would be easy to change the world (damn).
Finally, week #9 came at the end of October and things came together. The little things... and the big things. We figured it out!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Okay, so remember back a couple Sundays ago, when the Viv blog was just a new fresh face in your Google Reader? We made a bold statement about how Viv is aiming to “#1, encourage, then #2, enable, and #3, incent” all of us to make socially and environmentally responsible decisions? Well, I’d like to introduce #2: ENABLE. Drum roll, please! Perhaps, it isn’t that dramatic, but Viv has begun construction on a robust (& fun) online library of eco-resources. You may be wondering what the heck to do with that composting stuff you got with your cupcake or what to do next now that your low-flow aerator is on the sink in the bathroom. We’ve got loads of useful information, links, and videos on our Wiki How-to Library that will make you laugh and get you started. Yep, I said Wiki – as in ‘pedia, which means you can browse, leave comments, or even write up some content if you’re dying to tell the world about how to volunteer with Surfriders or something.

Viv wants to get you started making a difference in your community, even before we start bribing…I mean incentivizing…you to do so. We think the site is chock full o’cool videos, useful links, and eco-bathroom humor, but let us know what you think of these pages:

-San Francisco: Not as Trashy As You Thought – how to sign up for composting and updated info on what goes in which bin (blue, green, black, what?)-Bathroom Reading – easy how-to videos on how to make your bathroom a whole lot more water and energy efficient-BYOB Everywhere – frightening footage of the Bag Monster, and practical and impractical tips on remembering your reusable bag-Viv Green Action Factsheets – Use’em yourself, slip them under your landlord’s door, or leave them your favorite bar-Eco-News – Inspiration from around the world on folks who are doing good (and bad) stuff for our environment and communities

How do you like it? How can we make them better? Let us know by posting comments on the Wiki or sending an email to partners@doyouviv.com.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Monday night Gestalt hosted a killer Viv Special – 40% off brats, 60% off Soju cocktails and dollar off beers from 6 to 9pm.

Vivers who came out to receive the special also received a stunning canvas tote bag. Many thanks to SF Department of the Environment for providing them! These tote bags are made with scrap fabric from designer Ralph Lauren and are super sturdy. Each tote bag came with a sticker to remind you to bring your bag with you. So – if you were lucky enough to pick one up, please place that sticker where it will remind you on your way out and start bringing your own bag, like every day. For some fun tips, tricks and vids on this topic, check out our wiki.

In true Viv fashion, prior to the special, the Viv Environmental Accountability team (aka Mary Jo) helped Gestalt install 3 faucet aerators, which will cut back on the water use at all their sinks by ~50%. This will likely save them ~880,000 pints/year, which will in turn save them ~$500/year on water (excluding savings on natural gas to heat the water, or sewer fees to drain the water.) Gestalt already recycles and is scheduled to begin composting shortly. (For extra props bug them about this!)